Gavin Sheridan, a writer in Ireland, has been threatened with legal action by John Gray, author of the poop, er, pop-psychology book, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus."

Mr. Grey publishes his books under the name John Gray, PhD. His academic credentials, however, have come under questionrepeatedly. Mr. Grey lists B.A. and M.A. degrees from Maharishi European Research University, and a PhD from Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa. These schools have the reputation of being diploma mills; in fact, the "university" in Iowa, whose specialty seems to have been teaching levitation, is now defunct. Yes, you read that correctly. Levitation.

I suppose that is one way to get from Mars to Venus.

Gavin Sheridan recently drew attention to this fact, and has been served (via e-mail) with a Demand for Correction; a threat of libel suit. In what seems to be typical of modern legal representation, Mr. Grey's attorneys have not brought claims against others who have questioned the validity of Mr. Grey's credentials or of the granting institutions.

I'm not sure whether or not men are from Mars, but I'm fairly certain that many lawyers are complete assholes.

This morning I was reading the story of Hansel Mieth and Otto Hagel. Boyfriend and girlfriend, Mieth and Hagel immigrated from Germany to America in 1929. They became two of the more important photographers to document the indigent and immigrant worker populations in the years during and following the depression.

While they produced some stunning photographs, it was their lifestyle that made me think. Otto Hagel took a job as a deckhand on a freighter, and jumped ship once he arrived in the United States. From that point, Otto took odd jobs as a window washer and laborer, making his way across the country from Baltimore to San Francisco.

Would it be possible to do such a thing today? Ignore the difficulty of immigration. Would it be possible to live entirely off of the world's radar? Work for cash, pay for everything with cash, yet make a living?

Can a person still exist in the United States without being numbered, cataloged, tracked, and counted?

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

A Hartland man was treated at a Pittsfield hospital after he nailed himself to a cross. The 23-year-old man apparently was trying to commit suicide Thursday evening in his living room, the Bangor Daily News reported.

Lt. Pierre Boucher said the man took two pieces of wood, nailed them together in the form of a cross and placed them on the floor. He attached a suicide sign to the wood and then proceeded to nail one of his hands to the makeshift cross using a 14-penny nail and a hammer.

"When he realized that he was unable to nail his other hand to the board, he called 911,"

Spokane Spokesman-Review: Bush's partial history. Military rules used in 1974 to ground two Washington Air National Guard airmen with access to nuclear weapons also applied to a Texas Air National Guard unit where Lt. George W. Bush was a fighter pilot. Some military researchers and a former Texas Guard lieutenant colonel believe the stringent regulations -- known as the Human Reliability Program -- may have been invoked to stop Bush from flying Texas Air National Guard jets in 1972.

The content industries and their allies are attempting to use the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proceedings on the broadcast flag and on setting new rules for “plug and play” devices to assert widespread control over digital and analog media, according to Public Knowledge and Consumers Union.In a March 15 filing with the FCC on the broadcast flag, the groups said, “We have concluded from reading the full range of submissions in the broadcast-flag and plug-and-play proceedings that full regulatory control over all the ways consumers use content is precisely what certain content holders want.” Had such controls been in effect in 1976, when the video cassette recorder (VCR) was invented, “devices such as the VCR, the TiVo personal-video recorded, and Windows-based ‘media PCs’’ would have been drastically hindered on their way to market – if allowed at all,” Public Knowledge said in its filings.

Right now. The current date. Look at a calendar, find the box with today's date in it. That is fucking "today." Any other date than the current date isn't the same as "today." The concept of "tomorrow" is the day after "today."

I know this is confusing, as "today" is a relative concept, but deal with it. You can do the math in your head.

The current date minus zero days equals today.

I'm continually surprised that some people are able to tie their own shoes.

Monday, March 15, 2004

I have noticed that I progress through several distinct stages when working late. I think I'll share them with you.

Stage One: "Ok. It is going to be a long night." Resignation creeps in as I think of all thing things I won't be doing this evening.

Stage Two: "Need...coffee" After about 10 hours of working, my blood sugar crashes, and I need some food.

Stage Three: "Woo hoo!" No one is here late, so I can play Bob Marley as loud as I want.

Stage Four: "Danger! Danger!" There is a point when I get really angry that I'm the only one here. What am I doing here? Why am I wasting my life if no one else is? I am very irritable when I get to this stage, and should not be approached.

Stage Five: "What day is it?" Next I start to zone out. I'm just coding by reflex. I don't know what time it is, my name, I don't speak or walk well at this stage. I look vaguely ill.

Stage Six: "Straight on 'till morning" At this point, I've got my second wind, or endorphins are flowing, or something. Why stop now? I'll just shower in the gym before everyone else shows up in the morning.